Party
Marsha, whose parents this weekend — Thank you God! — Thank you, God! – have been, this weekend, on their, on a vacation, she gets my, gets the, our group’s attention, the attention, at the- at our- at her – party, and she,
(also, there too, my boyfriend)
Marsha announces to us all, “So guys, so- so I’ve made the drawings, guys.”
I said, “Party, guys! Party! Party! Party!”
(Because yes, Marsha, yes; I do love you.)
I said, “Party, guys!”
(These, guys, these, they are the sorts of thoughts that I felt that you can get, at that party.)
Marsha then said, “Wait, guys.” “Wait.” “Guys, guys, wait- wait, guys.”
Theresa,(who, and this, this is, I can, can say happily, happily, really, really, very, very happily, is finally now, is officially now, Marsha’s girlfriend),
Theresa said,
“Guys!”
“Guys, it’s my theme, for God’s sake!”
“It’s my theme, guys!”
“It’s my theme!”
“Guys, guys, guys, it’s my theme!”
“It’s my theme!”
“It’s a theme that’s out at everyone!”
“This theme, this theme!”
“This theme, this theme, this theme!” “Guys!”
“That that whole time!”
“Guys, that that whole time we’ve all been inside each other!”
“Guys- it’s just these parties!”
“It’s just that it’s these parties!”
Marsha rests wearily on Theresa’s shoulder and sighs,
She – Marsha – continues: “And, and, you know, guys, you know,
it’s just, guys, it’s just that,
that it’s these sorts of ideas, guys, you know.”
“Crayons.” “Crayons, guys.”
“Crayons, crayons, crayons.”
“Guys- crayons are my favorite!” Theresa shouts.
I said, “Theresa — they are my favorite, too!”
(Does everyone have anything like that you have to drink?) (Oolong, Oolong, Oolong!)
(It’s something I have to have, it’s something that I have to drink, Oolong.)
(I love Oolong, love it, love it, love it, love it, especially, especially when I draw, especially, Oolong)
Marsha says, “And it is a cup of Oolong, inside my best mug.”
“Guys, it is a cup of Oolong
inside my best mug.”
Theresa says, “I have a smile
that’s so wide at the party! That’s so wide at the party,
with the Oolong!”
“Guys, I have a smile that’s so wide in the drawing!”
“I mean, and, guys, I mean, they were dancing!”
Marsha says, “Because, guys, we know, they were!”
Marsha says, “And the people I drew, the people I drew guys, guys the people I drew, they are dancing, the people!”
“The people, they are dancing!”
“But,” I said,
“but we’re all there,” I said,
“we’re all there at the party, there at the party, united,” I said,
“united with each other, we are all there at the party, and we’re united at the party,” I said,
“we are united with each other at the party, and,” I said,
“we’re all, we’re all inside each other at the party, and we are all,” I said,
“we are all together,” I said,
“together at the party, we are all united at the party, we are all together, there is no outside at the party,” I said,
“no outside,” I said,
“no outside, all inside,” I said,
“all inside at the party, and so, and so, so,” I said,
“I felt that, I felt that, that as a way, that as a way,” I said,
“of, of, as a sign, of, as a sign of that, as a sign of that, I think, I think we should all,” I said,
“we should be drinking tea as well, if that’s the case, if we are all at the party, if that’s the case, if, if that is the case that we are all united, united, with each other.”
~
Élan Lafontaine is 22. His work has appeared in or will be appearing at NOON, Blip Magazine, metazen, and elimae.